Italy: 5 New Faces Fans Will Get a Look at vs. Albania
The Italian national team's momentum stopped with a thump on Sunday against Croatia, and they will try to pick it back up again on Tuesday against Albania.
The friendly at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris is a large-scale benefit for victims of flooding in Genoa and the surrounding area. As a part of that effort, the team that Antonio Conte is taking to the Marassi is stacked with emerging talent from Genoa and Sampdoria.
It helps that those two clubs have had surprisingly strong starts to the season. Sampdoria has a 5-5-1 record (W-D-L) so far this season and is only a point behind Napoli for a Champions League place. Their Derby della Lanterna rivals are only a point behind in fifth.
Conte has off-loaded almost all of his veterans and is bringing an experimental side into the game to get a good look at some of the young players who could force their way into the picture come the Euros in France.
Here, we'll look at five unfamiliar faces who will likely be seen on the field at the Ferraris and could demand some more attention as qualifying rolls on.
Alessandro Matri
1 of 5
To see Alessandro Matri's name on the roster at all is something of a shock.
The 30-year-old pushed his way into the picture in the run-up to Euro 2012 when he scored 20 times between Cagliari and Juventus in 2010-11, but by the time he managed his fifth international cap he was already running out of steam at Juve. While he enjoyed a lot of playing time under Conte during the coach's first two years in Turin, the return diminished greatly. He hasn't appeared in an Italy shirt since Italy's 1-0 friendly loss to the USA in February of 2012—a game that ironically took place in Genoa.
Last season he was the subject of the biggest fleecing of the mercato when Juventus sold him to AC Milan for €11 million only for him to flop badly and get loaned out to Fiorentina at the winter break. Milan loaned him out again this summer, this time to Genoa, where he has surprised by firing in five goals in nine appearances so far this season. He's also managed three assists, a fairly new facet to his game that may or may not be a flash in the pan.
Matri is one of those strikers who are dependent on his first touch to score goals. If it's true, he becomes an instant danger man in the box. If it isn't—as was too often the case in his last year at Juve and with Milan last season—you likely won't see very much out of him.
He's earned his call-up this time around by going on a tear that's seen him get a goal and assist or both in each of his last five games. He is also nearly unique among the forwards who have seen time in Conte's Azzurri setup in that he has a fair amount of experience in high-profile settings, especially Juve's run to the Champions League quarterfinal two years ago.
That experience might be useful in the future, especially if he keeps up his form. He held Conte's confidence once. Starting Tuesday, he may be able to gain it again.
Mattia Perin
2 of 5
Mattia Perin is now firmly established as one of the best goalkeepers in Serie A. It's a mild surprise that he's stayed at Genoa this long, but the Grifone are certainly happy that it's happened.
Perin almost single-handedly dragged Genoa from the relegation fight two seasons ago to mid-table. This year Genoa has upgraded some, but Perin is still the undisputed star.
Nowhere was this more apparent than in Genoa's upset of Juventus. Perin stymied the three-time defending champions with several incredible saves that kept the game scoreless until Luca Antonini's last-gasp winner in stoppage time gave the Genovese side an incredibly valuable win.
Perin has been highly visible for two-and-a-half seasons now, but he is yet to garner an international cap. His only action in an Azzurri shirt was an informal exhibition against Brazilian club Fluminese before the start of the World Cup in the summer—a game in which he made several uncharacteristic errors.
But in a game benefitting the Ligurian community, it would make sense to start the local club's star ahead of normal No. 2 Salvatore Sirigu. Perin is likely to be the future between the pipes long term, and it's likely we get our first look at him as a full international here.
Stefano Okaka
3 of 5
Sampdoria's run to fourth place has been magical. A big part of it is has been 25-year-old Stefano Okaka.
Born to Nigerian parents who later became Italian citizens, Okaka started his career in Roma's youth system and roamed the lower levels of Italian soccer on loan before moving to Parma and finally Sampdoria on deadline day last January. He scored five times last season to propel the Blucerchiati to a 12th-place finish.
He has only scored twice this year, but he's been hardworking up front, often clearing space for Manolo Gabbiadini and Eder to threaten from the wings. He's also a good dribbler and passer from the striker position, enhancing the threats of his wingers and midfielders.
Okaka's dribbling abilities are the interesting thing here. Conte has yet to find a forward who can break defenders down on the dribble. Okaka's ability with the ball at his feet allows him to set up teammates and draw fouls in advantageous areas.
He is likely to get minutes in front of his home crowd, but his ability to stick with the Azzurri will come at the club level. Samp's position in the table will be untenable if they don't score more goals. Okaka is going to have to help his team's attack push forward if they are to claim a place in Europe next year. If he can do that, a place with the Azzurri could be his.
Francesco Acerbi
4 of 5
If there is any decency in the world, the cheer that goes up when Francesco Acerbi takes the field on Tuesday should be louder than that which accompanies any goal.
Acerbi's story has transcended soccer. When he was sold to Sassuolo a year ago, his medical uncovered a tumor in his testicles. He immediately underwent surgery to remove it and rejoined his new team not long after. He played the majority of the first half of the year as a starter for Eusebio Di Francesco, but his season was derailed after he failed a doping test in December. Further testing revealed a recurrence of his cancer, and he underwent chemotherapy for the remainder of the season.
The doping violation was, of course, immediately overturned, and he's now back on the field, where he's turned into Sassuolo's best performer this season. He's not a volume tackler—WhoScored.com clocks him at a mere 0.7 per match—but he averages a Maldini-esque 4.8 interceptions per match, a testament to his positioning and ability to read games.
That kind of intelligence is useful in a 3-5-2, the formation that Conte seems, for better or worse, wedded to. With Andrea Barzagli injured and the hodgepodge of Andrea Ranocchia, Davide Astori and Angelo Ogbonna unable to distinguish themselves thus far, Acerbi could have a golden opportunity to grab a major role on this team and run with it.
It would make for a great cap to a true comeback story.
Manolo Gabbiadini
5 of 5
One of the best young forwards in Italy, Gabbiadini has been Sampdoria's best player this season and will likely get an extended run in front of his hometown fans.
It will be interesting to see how Conte decides to use Gabbiadini. He can play as a pure striker but has had fantastic success as a winger since Sinisa Mihajlovic arrived at Samp last November. His electrifying pace and cannon of a left foot are perfect for the wing—but unless Conte decides to change his tactical setup, the Azzurri won't be fielding any wingers.
Conte may try to squeeze Gabbiadini into his 3-5-2 as a wing-back, but given his lack of understanding of that position and general weaknesses as a defender, the manager would likely not be getting the best out of the player.
Gabbiadini, who scored twice at the 2013 U21 European Championship and netted six in qualifying for the same tournament, is going to be a big piece of the Italian puzzle in the future. The question becomes how well he'll fit in with this particular coach—something Tuesday's game may go a long way to finding out.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
